Bulgaria’s Central Israelite Religious Council published photos of the Central Synagogue in Sofia on Sunday, which had been vandalized with antisemitic graffiti such as a swastika along with the number “1488,” a reference to a neo-Nazi slogan, sparking outrage from Jewish organizations worldwide, the Algemeiner reported.
The council posted on Facebook saying: “We strongly condemn this action and call on the authorities to find the perpetrators as soon as possible and to impose the most severe sanctions.”
Joining the outcry, the European Jewish Congress tweeted “We are disgusted by the desecration of the Central Synagogue in Sofia with a white supremacist symbol ‘1488’ and a swastika. We stand in solidarity with the Bulgarian Jewish community and call on authorities to speedily bring the perpetrators to justice.”
We are disgusted by the desecration of the Central Synagogue in Sofia with a white supremacist symbol "1488" and a swastika.We stand in solidarity with the Bulgarian Jewish community @ShalomBulgaria and call on authorities to speedily bring the perpetrators to justice. pic.twitter.com/FThnBxHHV4
— European Jewish Congress (@eurojewcong) August 23, 2021
Similarly, B’nai Brith International called the act of vandalism “shameful” in a tweet, adding, “We stand with the local Jewish community and urge authorities to intensify efforts to secure Jewish institutions.”
Shameful desecration of the Central Synagogue in Sofia, #Bulgaria. The building was sprayed with swastikas and a '1488' tag – a known white supremacist symbol.We stand with the local Jewish community and urge authorities to intensify efforts to secure Jewish institutions. pic.twitter.com/7Uw5Qfg2DJ
— B'nai B'rith Int’l (@BnaiBrith) August 23, 2021
Another synagogue in Bulgaria was vandalized last year in a similar incident, with the words “Free Palestine Israel=Nazis Antifa Bulgaria” spray painted on the gate to the synagogue in Plovdiv.
Cnaan Lipshiz/JTA contributed to this story.